Soybean Pest Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Changes in weather and pesticide use Mar 16, 2016

Show notes

To start this podcast, Erin recaps current growing degree days in Iowa for 2016 and how they are really different than in 2014. Visit her blog post to see some cool graphs. Matt recently attended a soybean entomology working group meeting and recapped some of the highlights. Specifically, he talked about pesticide use comparisons around the U.S. and the possible introduction of Bt soybean in the U.S. market.

Wasp release for soybean aphid Mar 11, 2016

Show notes

Today, Matt talks about a "farminar" with PFI (Practical Farmers of Iowa) he recently recorded. It was about neonic seed treatments in soybean. Then Erin mentioned Pollinator Fest this summer is happening on Saturday, June 25 in Ames. But the majority of the time was spent interviewing an incoming post-doc, Matt Kaiser. He will start in Matt's lab this summer and work on a new parasitoid wasp that attacks soybean aphid. He reviews wasp biology and talks about how this new tool can help suppress soybean aphids in Iowa.

11th anniversary of the Yellow Book for soybean aphid Feb 18, 2016

Show notes

Today in this podcast, Matt and Erin talk about a new publication summarizing insecticide evaluations for soybean aphid. The Yellow Book for soybean aphid starting in 2005 in response to a growing demand to manage this invasive pest. Matt was up for the challenge and passed the torch to Erin in 2009. Now the evaluations are at 2 ISU Research Farms and include 25+ treatments annually. You can access all the Yellow Books FREE on their lab website: http://www.ent.iastate.edu/soybeanresearch/content/extension.

Understanding life cycle assessments with Dr. Rosentrater Feb 12, 2016

Show notes

Matt and Erin have a special guest on this podcast to help understand life cycle assessments. Dr. Kurt Rosentrater is an engineer and associate professor at Iowa State. Kurt explained the basics of conducting a life cycle assessment, including assumptions and resulting complications that come with this tool. They focused on a recent example looking at environmental impacts in four major crops. The assessment showed freshwater ecotoxicity impact in soybean increased 3-fold from 2002 to 2012. The authors claimed the insecticides used to control soybean aphid was an important factor. Corn, cotton and wheat did not have a significant increase of impact over the study duration.

More pesticide regulations in the news Jan 11, 2016

Show notes

Today, Matt and Erin talk about EPA's review of a popular neonic called imidacloprid. This and other active neonic ingredients have been blamed for declines in honey bee health. They share their thoughts on implications for cancellation, bee health and non-target insects.

Industry mergers and spinoffs Dec 14, 2015

Show notes

In this episode, Matt and Erin talk about the recent news of Dow AgroSciences and Dupont merging and possibly becoming three companies. Also, Erin talks about Crop Advantage Series, a reoccurring event for the ISU Crops Team. You can find more information, including dates, locations, speakers and more online.

Are soybean aphids becoming resistant? Dec 04, 2015

Show notes

Matt and Erin recap a presentation made at ICM Conference this week. Bob Koch (University of Minnesota) talked about bifenthrin failures to soybean aphid in southern Minnesota in 2015. He performed bioassays and detected resistance. The level of resistance was low, but provides the first example of this pest overcoming a pyrethroid in the field. Bob's ICM proceedings article summarizes highlights how resistance happens and strategies for prolonging insecticide efficacy. Find the proceedings free here: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ (search for publication AEP 0302 - 2015, pages 75-76).

We're back (and tired) from ESA Nov 20, 2015

Show notes

In this episode, Matt and Erin summarize a symposium they moderated at the national ESA meeting in Minneapolis. The topic was about the cost and benefits of neonic seed treatments from several different perspectives.

Future of chlorpyrifos Nov 12, 2015

Show notes

Today, Matt and Erin talk about the recent EPA proposal to revoke all tolerances to chlorpyrifos. This insecticide is an option in corn and soybean in Iowa and restricting or removing the use could have potential implications for field crop pest management. Matt shares a paper that shows a decrease of chlorpyrifos in corn but relatively steady use in soybean (doi:10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094016). He isn't sure if revoking the use would have an immediate impact, but Erin offers a Coke analogy to say otherwise. To learn more about the EPA proposal and leave a comment, go here: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-11-06/pdf/2015-28083.pdf.

What do you call monarch butterflies in Australia? Oct 29, 2015

Show notes

Today, Matt and Erin talk about the upcoming ESA meeting (Entomological Society of America) in Minneapolis next month. It's not too late to register for the meeting. Matt also highlights an upcoming seminar about monarch butterflies in the ISU entomology department. Dr. Meron Zalucki, University of Queensland, School of Biological Sciences, Australia, is presenting on November 9. Come to listen in person or watch at your convenience here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyJpsN5fR8Ia2WJNllyvB1Q.
The ISU Monarch Consortium is hosting Dr. Zalucki and have other research and outreach projects: http://monarch.ent.iastate.edu/.

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